Call me old-fashioned but there's something about the proposition of communists manufacturing goods for sale to the free world that just goes against my grain. It's bad enough when they send us electronics with limited usefulness and lifespan, or tools made with sub-par castings and motor windings, but when they begin to send out consumer products with the potential to kill, that's where the line has to be drawn. Sorry if I offend anyone, but in my opinion it may be time for a Big China Smack Down. Actually, I'm not sorry if that offends you.

If an American company had included a poisonous substance in a food product ingredient that then killed and sickened potentially thousands of domestic pets, as the Pet Connection Blog reveals a Chinese company has done, there would have been such a tumultuous media outcry that almost certainly that American company would have been forced to close its doors for good. What has been done in our interest to deal with the Chinese company that threatened our very lives? My guess is just about nothing.

If an American company had included a poisonous substance in an oral hygiene product with the potential to destroy human organs and eventually kill, as the Bosque Boys Blog discusses that Chinese companies have done, once again the media outcry would resound across the globe with incredible force. That American company would be immediately locked down while inspectors and investigators scrutinized every square foot of its facilities and every digit of its business records. What is happening in regard to the Chinese toothpaste debacle? Oh yeah, they closed up a cottage workshop with about 30 employees and they're conducting a "probe." How nicely communist of them.

China should feel the brunt of their sloppiness. Their lack of real-world diligence should cost them billions of dollars. Instead, our mainstream media outlets play down these situations, dilute the focus, meander around the facts, and let the whole thing die out, while a few Chinese managers get tossed into the street and everything returns to business as usual. That's my prediction for how this shall all play out.

As I leave the subject here for you to form your own opinions on, I'll give you one more thing to think about: Do you really think our Chinese friends manufacture toothpaste, antifreeze, and solvents in the same facilities?

Hey China, give me a break.

Rice protein has joined wheat glutton on the list of tainted pet food ingredients imported from China, according to USA Today.

Natural Balance Pet Foods is recalling some products after it found melamine, an industrial chemical, in some of its food that it suspects was in a rice protein concentrate, the paper said, adding that's the same chemical that lead to the massive recall by Menu Foods.

At this point in the game I personally have nearly lost all faith in the pet food industry to protect the health of its furry consumers. I'm also wondering if former Pres. Bill Clinton is fondly recalling the memories of all those USDA inspectors which he pink slipped. It's coming back to bite Bill now ain't it... I told you so...

I have not discontinued feeding my cats their usual commercial food. It's not that I don't love the little furballs, but changing their diet the way I'd like to would involve a small increase in our grocery budget which I choose not to bear. If the kitties were showing signs of digestive troubles or exhibiting any other symptoms, I'd surely contact our veterinarian and change their food immediately.

If I was to change my cats' diet, I would feed them human-grade salmon, tuna, shrimp, liver, beef, grains, oils and greens. Each meal would be a blend of two of the meat ingredients plus some grains and greens blended to a consistency similar to the commercial canned cat food. Wheat grass works well as a green ingredient and can be grown on your windowsill easily. As a matter of fact, it's not a bad idea to keep a pan of wheat grass growing at all times for your kitty. They love to chew it up and it often helps them to expel those nasty hairballs. Most local pet stores sell wheat grass seeds.

I was once a retailer of moderate to high-end pet foods. I sold many fine brands including Nutro Natural, Iams, Eukanuba and Hills Science diet. If you were looking for a bit better nutrition than the average grocery store brands for your dog or cat, I was the guy in Price County who had the goods.

So you can just imagine the level of interest I now have in the far reaching pet food recall announcements which have surfaced in the news. I quickly decided that I needed to do some intensive research in an attempt to get the best information I could. Here's how I searched and what I found.

My first stop is always at The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This site revealed nothing about pet food recalls but you may appreciate the link anyway.

My second stop was at the ASPCA website . That's where I hit pay-dirt. It has specific section dedicated to the current pet food recall. At this time it indicates that the specific brands affected are: Menu Foods (list attached), Del Monte Pet Products (list attached), Purina (Alpo Primecuts in Gravy only) and Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry Food Only. Please do not accept this as a complete list. These are only the names provided on the ASPCA website. Consumers are warned to be wary of any pet foods containing wheat gluten.

Reuters news service reported that the FDA has issued orders to halt all imports of wheat gluten originating from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company Ltd. Apparently it has been determined that the food contaminants could be traced back to that company. I was unfortunately unable to confirm that information at the FDA website.

I also found a wealth of information, links, comments and suggestions at the Pet Connection Blog. They are a very active group of animal fanciers who are closely following this situation.

Please Note:

It is upsetting to any pet's digestion to quickly change its diet. If you are required to immediately discontinue feeding your pet the product(s) it is used to, please contact your veterinarian for some simple things you can do to ease the upset to your animal. As always, your regular pet care professional should be immediately consulted regarding any noticeable changes in your pet's health or eating habits.